A US Navy aircraft carrying 11 crew and passengers has crashed into the sea off the coast of Japan.

The aircraft was traveling to the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier, which is now operating in the Philippine Sea, when it went down.

In a brief statement, the USA 7th Fleet said the C-2, a twin-engine airplane used to ferry personnel to and from aircraft carriers, went down about 2:45 p.m. Japan time (12:45 a.m. ET) while it was en route to the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN76), which is operating in the region.

Eight people were rescued about 40 minutes later.

The names of the crew and passengers on board of the plane are now being withheld.

Stay with Northern Michigan News Leader as we work to bring you updates on this developing story. The Reagan is home-ported at the USA naval base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture.

Search and rescue efforts continue for the other three people onboard the aircraft when it went down.

The C2-A is assigned to the "Providers" of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron Three Zero, Detachment Five, forward deployed in NAF Atsugi, Japan, the Navy said.

United States and Japanese naval ships and aircraft are searching for the missing.

The 7th Fleet has been carrying out exercises linked to the recent rise in tensions with North Korea.

The admiral in charge was removed from his position after his commanders lost confidence in his ability to lead and the Navy's top admiral ordered a fleetwide review of seamanship and training in the Pacific after the McCain collision.